Emergency protective helmet

ABSTRACT

The emergency protective helmet includes a storage support worn about the neck, a series of curved elements mounted movable in rotation with the storage support worn about the neck and with each other at their ends so as to be able to switch between a first, functional deployed position, in which the curved elements form a protective structure, and a second, non-functional stowed position, in which the curved elements are housed in the storage support worn about the neck, the emergency protective helmet further including a compressed gas cartridge and a set of flexible tubes fluidically connected to the cartridge and connecting the curved elements to each other, the flexible tubes being arranged such that inflating the flexible tubes switches the curved elements from the second, stowed position to the first, deployed position.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an emergency protective helmet of the type deploying around the head of a wearer in an emergency.

PRIOR ART

At present, there are conventional protective helmets that are fitted with an additional emergency protection system comprising one or more airbags connected to a compressed gas reservoir. For example, the document WO2004039192 describes a motorcycle helmet of this type equipped with airbags. However, during an activity involving considerable risk of falling, this forces a user to wear a helmet of this kind permanently around his head. This can be unpleasant during activities where wearing a helmet is not compulsory, for example when cycling, using a scooter or using a self-balancing personal transporter, etc., but where the user wishes to improve the protection to his head during and after a fall, without having the disadvantages of wearing a conventional protective helmet.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to make available an emergency protective helmet which, while being easy to wear, can provide optimum protection after deployment.

To this end, there is provided, according to the invention, an emergency protective helmet comprising a round-the-neck storage support, a series of curved elements mounted movably in rotation with the round-the-neck storage support and with one another at their ends so as to be able to pass between a first, functional deployed position, in which the curved elements form a protective structure, and a second, non-functional stowed position, in which the curved elements are housed in the round-the-neck storage support, the emergency protective helmet further comprising a compressed gas cartridge and a set of flexible tubes fluidically connected to the cartridge and connecting the curved elements to one another, the flexible tubes being arranged such that inflating the flexible tubes causes the curved elements to pass from the second, stowed position to the first, deployed position.

Advantageously, but optionally, the emergency protective helmet according to the invention has at least one of the following technical features:

-   -   the emergency protective helmet comprises a control and drive         unit, arranged to initiate a triggering of the cartridge,         comprising a position/angle sensor and a speed sensor;     -   the curved elements are rigid hoops;     -   the emergency protective helmet comprises a flexible fabric         connecting the curved elements to one another;     -   the emergency protective helmet further comprises a base capable         of resting on the shoulders of a wearer, the round-the-neck         storage support being mounted movably on the base;     -   the round-the-neck storage support is mounted movably in         translation on the base;     -   the emergency protective helmet comprises a device for adjusting         the position, according to the morphology of the wearer, of the         round-the-neck storage support relative to the base;     -   the emergency protective helmet further comprises a shoulder         airbag fluidically connected to the cartridge and arranged such         that inflation of the airbag moves the round-the-neck storage         support vertically upward;     -   the emergency protective helmet further comprises a         quick-release buckle; and     -   the quick-release buckle comprises an arming switch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Other features and advantages of the invention will become clear on reading the following description of an embodiment of the invention. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an emergency protective helmet according to the invention in a non-functional stowed position, the helmet being worn by a wearer;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the helmet from FIG. 1 in a functional deployed position, the helmet being worn by a wearer;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the helmet from FIG. 2, the helmet being worn by a wearer; and

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the helmet from the preceding figures.

For greater clarity, the features that are identical or similar are designated by identical reference signs in all of the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, we will describe in detail an embodiment of an emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention.

The emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention comprises a base 10 which, once in place on a wearer, comes to rest on the shoulders 3 of the wearer. The base 10 is, for example, in two separate parts which are positioned on either side of the head 2 of the wearer, on the shoulders 3 of the latter. In an alternative embodiment, the base 10 comprises a connecting element between the two parts, which connecting element is positioned behind the neck of the wearer when the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention is put on. Each of the parts of the base 10 is of triangular shape in side view, as is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Moreover, the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention comprises a round-the-neck storage support 20 which is mounted movably on the base 10 by means of a device 40, 41, 42 for adjusting the position of said round-the-neck storage support 20 with respect to said base 10. The round-the-neck storage support 20 comprises, on a front part, a quick-release buckle 21 and, on a rear part, a storage space 22 which falls behind the shoulders 3 and the neck of the wearer. In a side view illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, this gives the overall shape of a bean.

The position adjustment device 40, 41, 42 here comprises a longitudinal groove 40 formed in one of the parts of the base 10. The longitudinal groove 40 is oriented in such a way as to extend substantially in a direction from the shoulders 3 toward the head 2 of the wearer. This direction is substantially vertical. Furthermore, the position adjustment device comprises a pin 41 mounted on the round-the-neck storage support 20. The pin 41 is intended to cooperate slidingly with the longitudinal groove 40 associated with it, so as to obtain an assembly movable in translation between the round-the-neck storage support 20 and the base 10 and to allow an adjustment of the position 42 of the round-the-neck storage support 20 with respect to the base 10. Position locking means 42 are provided. This makes it possible to adapt the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention to the morphology of the wearer.

The emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention also comprises a series of curved elements 31, 32, 33, 34. The curved elements 31, 32, 33, 34, here four in number, are mounted movably in rotation with the round-the-neck storage support 20 and with one another at their ends 35. The rotation takes place about an axis 30. This allows all of the curved elements 31, 32, 33, 34 to pass from a first, functional deployed position illustrated in FIG. 2 to a second, non-functional stowed position illustrated in FIG. 1. In the second, non-functional stowed position, all of the curved elements are received in the storage space 22 of the round-the-neck storage support 20: they are thus housed in said round-the-neck storage support 20. In the first, functional deployed position, all of the curved elements 31, 32, 33, 34 are deployed around the head 2 of the wearer, so as to form a protective structure around the wearer's skull. A set of flexible tubes 50 interconnect the curved elements 31, 32, 33, 34 of the set of curved elements. Moreover, the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention comprises a flexible fabric 36 also connecting the curved elements 31, 32, 33, 34 to one another. Here, the curved elements 31, 32, 33, 34 are rigid hoops.

Additionally, the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention comprises, on either side of the shoulders 3 of the wearer, two airbags positioned in the round-the-neck storage support 20. The function of these airbags will be described in more detail below in a description of an operation of the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention.

In addition, the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention comprises a cartridge 70 of compressed gas, such as air. The cartridge 70 is fluidically connected to the set of flexible tubes 50 and also to the two airbags. A control and drive unit 60, integrated in the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention, drives the cartridge 70. For this, the control and drive unit 60 comprises sensors, in particular a speed sensor and a position/angle sensor. The main role of the control and drive unit 60 is to trigger an ejection of the compressed gas contained in said cartridge 70 according to the information sent by the sensors. Moreover, the control and drive unit 60 comprises an electric power battery. So as to be able to arm the control unit 60 automatically when fitting the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention in place, the quick-release buckle 21 comprises means forming a switch. The switch-forming means are, for example, a contact made by a mechanical or magnetic switch. Such switch-forming means play the role of a sensor sensing the presence/placement of the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention on the wearer.

Referring to FIG. 4, we will briefly describe an operation of the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention that has been described above. The wearer places the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention around his neck, the base 10 resting on the shoulders 3 of the wearer. The wearer then adjusts a position 42 of the round-the-neck storage support 20, in terms of height with respect to the base 10, using the position adjustment device 40, 41, 42. Before or after this position adjustment, the wearer of the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention closes the quick-release buckle 21 at the front. Thereupon, the switch-forming means send to the control and drive unit 6 a signal indicating placement of the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention around the neck of the wearer. The control and drive unit 60 then initiates a verification procedure 110 for checking all the elements of the emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention to which it is connected. If the verification procedure does not detect any anomaly or problem, the control and drive unit 60 goes into “armed” mode 120, confirmed by emission of an audible and/or visual signal. Once armed, the control and drive unit 60 analyzes 130 the information transmitted by all the sensors, such as the information from the speed sensor 160 and the information from the position/angle sensor 170. According to the information received, a triggering 140 of the cartridge 70 is activated by the control and drive unit 60 if a sudden variation in the information sent by the position/angle and/or speed sensors is detected, signifying either a fall or an impact. Once the cartridge 70 is activated, the two airbags deploy, moving the round-the-neck storage support 20 vertically upward, after which all of the flexible tubes 50 deploy in turn. The emergency protective helmet 1 according to the invention then passes 150 to its functional deployed position, surrounding the head 2 of the wearer.

The use of rigid curved elements 31-34 makes it possible to permanently ensure a rigid protective structure around the head 2 of the wearer, long after the cartridge 70 is triggered.

It is of course possible to make numerous modifications to the invention without thereby departing from the scope of the latter. 

1. An emergency protective helmet comprising a round-the-neck storage support, a series of curved elements mounted movably in rotation with the round-the-neck storage support and with one another at their ends so as to be able to pass between a first, functional deployed position, in which the curved elements form a protective structure, and a second, non-functional stowed position, in which the curved elements are housed in the round-the-neck storage support, wherein the emergency protective helmet further comprises a compressed gas cartridge and a set of flexible tubes fluidically connected to the cartridge and connecting the curved elements to one another, the flexible tubes being arranged such that inflating the flexible tubes causes the curved elements to pass from the second, stowed position to the first, deployed position.
 2. The emergency protective helmet as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises a control and drive unit, arranged to initiate a triggering of the cartridge, comprising a position/angle sensor and a speed sensor.
 3. The emergency protective helmet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the curved elements are rigid hoops.
 4. The emergency protective helmet as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises a flexible fabric connecting the curved elements to one another.
 5. The emergency protective helmet as claimed in claim 1, wherein it further comprises a base capable of resting on the shoulders of a wearer, the round-the-neck storage support being mounted movably on the base.
 6. The emergency protective helmet as claimed in claim 5, wherein the round-the-neck storage support is mounted movably in translation on the base.
 7. The emergency protective helmet as claimed in claim 5, comprising a device for adjusting the position, according to the morphology of the wearer, of the round-the-neck storage support relative to the base.
 8. The emergency protective helmet as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a shoulder airbag fluidically connected to the cartridge and arranged such that inflation of the airbag moves the round-the-neck storage support vertically upward.
 9. The emergency protective helmet as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a quick-release buckle.
 10. The emergency protective helmet as claimed in claim 9, wherein the quick-release buckle comprises an arming switch. 